Hercule Poirot

Agatha Christie's family jewels are set to go under the hammer in October (14). A 19th century diamond brooch and an engagement ring thought to have belonged to the English crime writer's mother are expected to fetch up to $13,600 (£8,000) and $8,500 (£5,000) respectively when they go up for sale at Bonhams auction house in London.
The owner found the family heirlooms in a locked trunk she bought from a yard sale at Christie's former home in 2006. She paid $170 (£100) for the box, which came without a key, and only discovered the jewels in 2010.
The auction will take place on 8 August (14).
Christie, the creator of detective character Hercule Poirot, died in 1976.

British actor Jason Durr is set to become the latest star to portray Agatha Christie's famous literary sleuth Hercule Poirot. The TV regular will replace veteran Robert Powell in touring stageshow Black Coffee. Poirot has been played by David Suchet, Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney, among others.

Sir Ridley Scott is going full steam ahead with a remake of classic crime drama Murder On The Orient Express. Agatha Christie's 1934 Hercule Poirot novel was transformed for the big screen in 1974 and proved a hit, with actress Ingrid Bergman giving an Oscar-winning performance alongside Albert Finney as the Belgian super-sleuth. The starry cast also included Sir Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall and Vanessa Redgrave.
The Alien director is now planning to reboot the tale after signing up to produce a new adaptation for 20th Century Fox Studios.
Alfred Molina previously played Poirot in a 2001 small screen version of Murder On The Orient Express, while the iconic detective was most recently portrayed by David Suchet, who retired the role last month (Nov13) after more than two decades on U.K. TV.

Veteran British actor David Suchet is heading to the London stage to give fans an intimate insight into his career. The star's final bow as Agatha Christie's super sleuth Hercule Poirot - after 25 years on TV - recently aired in the U.K. and now the actor will open up about his most famous role, and his other work, in Encounters: Performers On Performance.
Suchet will sit with arts journalist Fiona Lindsay to discuss his time on stage and TV for a one-off special at the Lyric Theatre next year (14).
Comic Lenny Henry, who won acclaim for his turn in Shakespeare's Othello in 2009, will also sit down for a session.
Producer Kim Poster tells Britain's Daily Mail, "It's an intimate conversation about an actor's life and craft in the entertainment business.
"The artist in question will dictate whether clips are shown, or whether they just sit and talk with Fiona. It's very much done on a bespoke basis."
The series will start in January (14) and run for six months, with new stars set to be announced in due course.

Veteran actor David Suchet almost walked away from his most famous role over a disagreement about a handkerchief. Suchet slipped into the shoes of Agatha Christie's supersleuth Hercule Poirot in 1989 and and will play the detective for the final time next month (Nov13) in an U.K. dramatisation of Christie's final Poirot novel.
But the actor almost abandoned the role in his first series after arguing with a director about how closely the actor should stick to the author's description of the Belgian detective.
Filmmaker Ed Bennett wanted to ignore Poirot's habit of spreading a handkerchief on a park bench before he sits on it, but Suchet was determined the character should remain true to Christie's original.
In his forthcoming memoir, Poirot and Me, Suchet writes, "If I lost the argument, it would mean that my custodianship of Poirot's character was in severe jeopardy - so much so that I really thought that I might not be able to go on playing him... I will say this openly and honestly - in defence of my character, I would have walked. At some points, had I not got the support of my producers, I would have walked."

The cast of Downton Abbey will battle among themselves to land the Drama Performance prize at the U.K.'s National Television Awards next year (14). Dame Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter and Hugh Bonneville are all nominated in the category, which has a 29 nominees.
They will be pitted against the likes of Max Irons (The White Queen), Jeremy Piven (Mr Selfridge), Damian Lewis (Homeland), and Matt Smith (Doctor Who).
Downton Abbey is also up for the Drama award along with a raft of other shows, including Homeland, Mr Selfridge, Luther, The Fall, Call The Midwife, Doctor Who and The White Queen.
Bosses of the prizegiving have introduced a new category, TV Detective of the Year, in honour of Britain's obsession with crime shows - Benedict Cumberbatch's turn as Sherlock Holmes, David Suchet's longrunning role of Hercule Poirot and David Tennant's hard hitting portrayal of troubled DI Hardy in Broadchurch are all up for the trophy.
Fans can vote to choose their winners, which will be announced at the O2 Arena in London on 22 January (14).

Veteran British actor David Suchet has voiced his sorrow after a fire broke out at a landmark London building which doubled as the home of his TV detective character Hercule Poirot. The actor, who has spent the past 25 years playing the Belgian sleuth in British TV adaptations of Agatha Christie's books, was distraught when he heard the apartment block in London's Smithfield district was devastated by fire on Saturday (20Jul13).
In a post on Twitter.com, he writes "I am so sorry!! I do hope no-one was hurt."
The building has doubled as Poirot's London home throughout Suchet's tenure as the famous detective. No one was injured in the blaze, but many of the apartments were badly damaged.

Actor David Suchet is to film his final Poirot movie at author Agatha Christie's holiday retreat in Devon, England. The Brit has portrayed the fictional detective since 1989 and now he's bowing out after appearing in all of Christie's 65 Hercule Poirot mysteries.
And he'll film his swansong, Dead Man's Folly, at Greenway, the writer's home, which is now owned by the National Trust.
The retreat inspired the Poirot story.

The actor wants to seek out challenging new scripts after playing Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth on TV for more than 20 years, and insists he will not return even if new mysteries are written with the consent of the late author's estate.
He tells Britain's The Times newspaper, "I'm going to play him dying. After 24 years playing a character, and you kill him off, that's where you should stay. I've always been known in the series as Agatha Christie's Poirot. I'm so grateful to her that I don't think I really want to do another one... I've been told I'm the longest running actor to play the same character in a (detective) series."
Suchet admits he is so worried about filming the character's death, which occurs in the last episode of the upcoming 13th and final series, he has asked producers to shoot it early so he doesn't end his long-running stint on a low note.
He adds, "Psychologically, it would have been very hard for me to leave as he dies. He's been a part of my life for so long, it'll be an ordeal to let him go."

The 65 year old, famous for his portrayal of Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot on U.K. TV, was the guest of honour at Queen Elizabeth II's royal residence, where he was honoured for his services to drama by Charles, Prince of Wales.
Suchet says, "(It is) a very great honour. I've had a fantastic career. Although I will be remembered for Poirot I have never been typecast. I'm very rarely me. I'm a character actor and that's the joy and the challenge."
And the star insists he is not ready to retire just yet - as he dreams of more Poirot adventures: "I have done all but five of the stories. My lifelong dream will be releasing the Poirot boxset of all the novels she (Christie) wrote.
"It may happen. There's a green light flickering and I'm waiting for it to be steady. It may be next autumn."